Kurds Flee as Baghdad Captures Kirkuk; 60 Killed, 133 Wounded

Iraqi forces have captured
the contested city of Kirkuk in an aggressive attempt to reestablish
control of its Kurdish population, which voted for independence in a
non-binding referendum on September 25. Heavily outnumbered, Kurdish forces
withdrew without fighting. Meanwhile, Islamic State militants used the
diversion to attack
two villages in Kirkuk province.

Kurdish Peshmerga forces recaptured the multi-ethnic Kirkuk
in 2014 after Islamic State militants chased out the Iraqi Army. The city
had remained under the control of the Kurdistan Regional Government. It’s
inclusion in the Kurdistan referendum enraged Baghdad.

The Kurdish government believes that Kirkuk
and its oilfields traditionally belong to Kurdistan, as the city was once
heavily Kurdish before Saddam Hussein’s program of Arabization changed the
demographics dramatically. A reversal of the Arabization process before a constitutionally
mandated vote on Kirkuk’s status was to have taken place by 2007, but Baghdad reneged
on that promised referendum. It is one of many grievances the Kurds have with
the federal government.

Traffic
heading north was heavy as tens
of thousands of Kurdish residents fled before expected fighting and
post-battle retribution. Among those who left
was Kirkuk Governor Najmaddin Karim, who had recently been unseated by
lawmakers in Baghdad but remained at his post. Turkmen residents celebrated
the withdrawal of Kurdish forces.

Peshmerga forces loyal to the opposition Patriotic Union
of Kurdistan were criticized
for honoring a withdrawal deal with Baghdad. Kurdish President Masoud Barzani’s
Kurdistan Democratic Party opposed it. The rapid fall of the city has
led some to conclude
that both parties may have colluded with Baghdad and the Iranian government. An
Iranian delegation met
with P.U.K. officials in Rashad on Sunday. Among them was Pavel Talabani,
who is the son of former Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. Talabani, a Kurd, died
on October 3. Controversial former Iraqi Prime Minister, now Vice-President, Nouri
al-Maliki praised
the P.U.K. for their cooperation.

However, the sheer number of Iraqi and Iranian-backed Shi’ite
militiamen may render that a moot point as they would have overwhelmed Kurdish
forces regardless of any deal-making.

Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq’s former foreign and finance
minister and now close advisor to Kurdish President Masoud Barzani, described
the operation as a “war” on Kurdistan by Iranian-backed Shi’ite militias.

U.S. President Donald Trumpsaid
the United States was “not taking sides” in the standoff, but the U.S.
Embassy said it supported “peaceful reassertion” of Iraqi control in the
disputed areas. Pentagon Spokesman Col. Rob Manningcalled
the situation a distraction from the war against the Islamic State militants. The
U.S.-led Coalition against ISIS/Daesh issued
a statement calling any exchange of fire a “misunderstanding” between the
Iraqi and the Kurdish forces. U.S. Representative Trent Franks and U.S. Senator
Chuck Schumer both issued
statements condemning the operation. Also, U.S. Senator John McCain,
Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, warned
Iraq there will be severe consequences if U.S.-provided weaponry continues to
be used against Kurdish citizens.

Peshmerga forces reportedly also withdrew
from Tuz Khormato and the cities of Jalawla and Qara Tapa
in Diyala province. Peshmerga forces in Bashiqa and Khazar are on
high alert. Shi’ite militiamen are in control of Sinjar.

At least 60 people were killed and 133 were wounded:

In Zab, an I.E.D. killed
two Turkish soldiers and wounded three more, while Turkish air
strikes killed
eight people, possibly belonging to the Kurdistan Workers’ Party
(P.K.K.). It is unclear is Baghdad is now granting permission to Turkey to
conduction operations in northern Iraq. Previously, the federal government had
ordered Turkey to stop, but relations have changed since the September 25
referendum.